Australia’s island for refugees ruled illegal

Australia’s detention of migrants in Papua New Guinea has been ruled illegal by the Pacific nation’s Supreme Court, leaving the fate of hundreds of refugees – and Canberra’s hard-line policy – in limbo.

In an embarrassing judgment for Australia, the court ordered the nations to end the detention of some 850 asylum seekers on Manus Island, ruling it breached the state’s right to liberty. “Their destination was and continues to be Australia,” the court ruled.